30 weightwatchers.com/nz
A
s if hot flushes,
intimacy challenges and
the mood swings that
can occur during menopause
weren’t enough for women to
get their heads around, many
fret that their clothes will
inevitably start feeling too tight
as well. But the good news is
that menopause doesn’t have
to equal weight gain – a few
simple lifestyle tweaks can help
you steer well and truly clear
of weight gain later in life.NO, WEIGHT GAIN IS
NOT INEVITABLE
While it’s true that a drop in
the hormone oestrogen at
menopause changes the way
your body stores fat, experts say
you can avoid gaining more fat
during your middle years.
Where you once may have
gained weight around your hips
and thighs, after menopause it
tends to move to your waistline.
“We go from being a pear
shape with our weight mainly
on our hips to an apple, where
we put on weight around the
middle,” explains Associate
Professor Amanda Vincent,
president of the Australasian
Menopause Society.
An apple shape doesn’t only“
Our engines
slow down
so we get a
drop in the
kilojoules
we need.
make your waistband tighter, it’s
also a more dangerous type of
fat, increasing the risk of heart
attack, stroke, diabetes, cancer,
osteoarthritis and depression.
“That fat raises cholesterol
and triglycerides and makes
you less able to process glucose
properly,” says Professor LaurenWilliams, Griffith University
Professor of Nutrition and
Dietetics, making it clear
why weight maintenance in
middle age is important to
a long, healthy life.
The good news is that
Williams’ research showed that
only 40 per cent of menopausal
women gain weight, and moreoften than not, this weight
gain is preventable with
lifestyle change.
“My studies also showed a
trend towards emotional eating
in women who gained weight
in menopause, and an increased
likelihood of working full-time,
which led to buying more meals
outside of the home,” she says.ADJUSTING
WITH AGE
We can thank ageing – not
menopause – for a naturally
slowing metabolism and
reduced kilojoule requirement.
“After the age of 27 or 28,
our engines slow down so
we get a drop in the number
of kilojoules we need for our
bodies,” says Williams. “If
you think about your body
like a car, you need less petrol
as you age.”
The menopausal drop in
oestrogen also leads to a
reduction in bone and muscle
mass, which reduces our
energy requirements.
“Bone and muscle requires
more energy,” Williams
explains. “As soon as you shift
to having more fat and less bone
and muscle, you actually need
fewer kilojoules every day.”
By the time women reach
menopause, Williams says they
will need about 418 kilojoules
less per day than when they
were in their 20s – which is
about the equivalent of cutting
out a fun-size Mars Bar or one
glass of wine.
That said, physical activity –
strength training in particular- helps improve our bone and
muscle mass to help us expend
more energy throughout the day.
“Activity is really important
for bone health because
after menopause your risk of
osteoporosis increases,” Vincent
adds. “You want to aim to do
150 minutes a week. It’s best to
do a variety of exercises – some
strength and some aerobic to
get all of the benefits.”
The most important
change you can make
is to up your intake of
fruit and vegetables.